LINCOLN, Neb. — Former Arkansas Tech third baseman Nate Wilder signed a contract recently to play independent professional baseball with the Lincoln [NE] Saltdogs of the American Association.

The American Association is an independent professional baseball league based out of Durham, N.C. The league features three divisions of five teams. The teams play 100 games during the regular season that began on May 17 and ends on Sept. 3. Lincoln is a member of the American Association’s Central Division with the Gary [IN] SouthShore Railcats, the Kansas City T-Bones, the Sioux City Explorers and the Wichita [KS] Wingnuts.

Wilder, a senior on this year’s Wonder Boys team that finished 26-27 overall and advanced to the inaugural Great American Conference Tournament, signed with his hometown town team on Wednesday. Wilder is a native of Lincoln, Neb., and attended North Star High School. He will be in uniform for the Saltdogs’ home game Friday against the New Jersey Jackals.

This past season for the Wonder Boys, Wilder, who is listed as an infielder for the Saltdogs, played in 49 games and had 176 at-bats. A Second-Team all-Great American Conference selection, Wilder hit .295 and slugged .551 this past spring. He finished the season second in the league in RBIs with 53, total bases (106) and home runs (10) and was seventh in the league in walks (31) and ninth in the GAC in doubles (15). Wilder, who was named to the 2012 Tino Martinez Division II Player of the Year watch list, was named a GAC Player of the Week during the season, recorded 16 multiple hit games and a team-best 14 multiple RBI contests for Tech.

In his two seasons with the Wonder Boys, Wilder, a transfer from Kansas City Community College, recorded 100 hits in 309 career at-bats. He scored 71 runs, had 25 doubles, three triples, hit 20 home runs — tied for seventh on the school’s all-time list — and had 94 career RBIs in 93 games.

The Saltdogs, who used to play in the Northern League before joining the American Association in 2006, enters its home game on Friday against New Jersey with a 4-4 record on the season and is a half-game out of first place in the Central Division. The three division winners and a wild card team advance to the American Association playoffs.

Complete information on the Lincoln Saltdogs can be found on the internet at www.saltdogs.com, while complete information on the American Association can be found on the internet at www.americanassociationbaseball.com/index.